New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-21
ANTICS OF REFORM.
nLIMPsEs AT THE QEEER DOINGS IN
WARRINGTON OFFICES.

asnts nv persors interested In land cases which have
oeen sent to Secretary Lamar appeal from the de-
eisions Of General SPARKS, account Of the vexa-
tous and rrotracted delays to which appellants are sub
iected had supposed that the delays should be atrib
sed to III. Iamars wellkrown dreamy disposition and
hssatA procrastination. 1t appears that that was
mistake 70 great extent at least. Before the word
Reform" In big letters in scribed To speak,
over every doorway and stamped every desk in the
Interior Department land appeals were taken up and
disposed OF promptly, that the work was more
than few we,ks in although the number of per-
sons employed much smaller than il now is IL Is
true that General" Sparks's peculiar decisions nave
esnlted in great number Of appeals and thai some l
OF the law force necessary In order 10 hoid
him In check But the main cause OF the delays COIL
planned of is Zach Montgomery the Assistant At1or
ney-General. 1t may be remembered that Zach was
brought 10 Washington and appointed 10 that important
oce not because he for the place. but because ne
vas an old schoomate OF Garland and had never SHOWN
himself emiDently tit for any other place wen, zap
bears that Zachs method OF disposing OF the knoty
legal questions referred to him for solution is rather
peculiar 1t is thus described by man WHO Is familiar
with it.:
MONTGOMERY has in his Office ten or a dozen CLERKS.
Whenever case is referred he hands 1t TO one OF the
clerks with Instructions to write an opinion On three
afternoons the week. at o'clock, all the clerks are
summoned Montgomery's room, the doors are closed
and the Judge, enthroned behind big pile Of law
you an opinion for us todayP If Mr.. Jones has an
opinion ready he reads It, in extenso When he has cor
cluded the Judge invites each OF the other clerks 10
express his opinion OF the opinion TINS sort OF
thing for two hours After all the CLERKS have
talked themselves out a vote Is taken the opinion,
majority deciding whether not 1t is sound III there
be an equal DIVISION the Judge gives the casting vote
In this way seventy eighty hours of official time IS
consumed aud occasionally opinion is promulgated
never present at Of these seances from whch
everybody except the Judge and his clerks is iGidy
excluded have been assured that some OF them are
as divertng as q minstrel performance"
II would he interesting to know how many official COM
puncatons dated at the Pension Bureau since General
Black thereof have been signed by him ana
how many by OF his deputies as Acting Commits
sioner In the Of the distinguished Physical
Wreck and professional soldier. am informed that
I'm one period of 1872 days Commissioner Black was
absent from bis post 11Odays He is absent to-day In
fact it is the exception Of the rule for him to be
present understand that his visit to Brooklyn tins
week is part Of his canvass for the COMMANDMENT
Chieshp the Grand Army of the Republic although
some his friends have intmated that he Will espouse
the candidacy of General socum for that office provided
slocum and his friends will take charge of the Black
boomet for the Presidential nomination Probably
Black has two strings to his bow. His Brooklyn re-
ception," hear, arranged by Principal Examiner
Frank A. Butts of the Pension Bureau, who 10 resi-
dent of Mr. Stahneckers District and an active member
of the Grand Army of the Republic Mr. Butts has been
twice promoted Black and therefore he ought to De
grateful 1 am informed by a member OF the Grand
Army of the Republic that Butts was a candidate
GENTLY for delegate to the National Encampment at st
Louis After the votes counted 1t was found that
eompetor but 1t was also discovered that about thirty
Ave more mad been cast than there were comrades
present and voting Another election was held ana
HINTS was defeated and thus the Black In the
Grand ARMY here failed am sorry to believe that the
Many persons having business with the Pension
Bureau complain Of the delays to which they are SUB
Ing certain information; after waiting month ne
n sssn TO- Rs
exactly four weeks he received the Information
TO h IN as easily sixty
days.
hear that Mr. Dawson, the United States Commits
sioner Of Education finds extreme enjoyment in the
oncial ms pectiOn in<which he is engaged Some OF
his less fortunate felowlaborers in the vineyard OF
Democratic reform envious Of Dawson. There is
Mr. Assistant Secretary Hawkins of the Interior Depart
men whose plans for free summer jaunt through the
Northwest dshed by the Interstate law and
the unresponsve Canadian Pacific Railroad Company.
The cutting off Of railroad passes is source OF greyous
addition TO some OF the brilliant reformers in the
official fold Bnt Dawson is an exception When Con-
rsss last winter appropriated $4,000 for the educa-
ton of the children Of school In the Territory of
Alaska without reference to race, probably IT did not
dream that about per cent Of the amount would be
expended, without reference TO race" to pay the
expenses gntetng rp peg pardon ocial in
Hut he knew a thing or two Before starting his
petition he obtained from brother reormer who is
payment Of his travelling and incidental expense. out Of
the fund appropriated for the education Of the children
ceive much benefit and enlightenment from bis personal
mnisraons, for It Is certain that no VIII OBTAIN no IN
formation which Is not accessible In the hes OF the III
terror Department.
sBshop Oberly Of the Civil Service Commission is
extremely disguised with the failure of his little scheme
70 get rid Of clerks who Republicans by means OF
general examination for promotions to vacancies which
do not exist In the War Department. In which all the
clerks have been examined at cost TO the Government
Of $4,000 not than twenty or thirty out OF
many hundreds failed to pass One OF the clerks who
passed with high rating informed me that nearly all
the printed questions to subjects which had not
the slightest bearing the business with which War
Department clerks have to deal He said: There was
some pigeon English TO be corrected, besides lot OF
catch questions with which all schooboys are
familiar but which most men have forgotten az they
have the other little puzzles OF their childhood The
examination room presented spectacle which would
have been truly edfying to the schoolbook reformers
The day was terribly hot and the atmosphere of the
room was sitting There seated, with their knees
drawn up under schooboys desks about three hundred
soms esses TO- recall their boySood lore MANY gray
heads were there old soldiers there men who had
led brigades regiments ana companies on tne Datcncl
during the war; there clerks OF twenty years
experience who thoroughly understand the business OF
their respective bureaus in all its details there were
graduates OF divinity schools medical schools and col
1eges-al brought together and placed on schoolD0ys
stools the hope that they might be trppsd and thrown
by scho0lboy puzzles"
"Well how many vacancies there to be filed by
promotion y asked.
" There two. hear that some OF the clerks who
are OF sporting prOclivities aend to hire room
and sell pools the vacancies. Congress, you remem-
ber declined to prohibit the selling of pools In tho Dis
trict of Columbia, and sporting say that those
two vacancies offer better inducements for betting men
than the at Saratoga or Monmouth II would be
rather sad, think, IL the good Bishop Oberly 8
Reform dodge should create new sort OF gambling,
in the Civil Service"
I am sure that every wellmeaning person will sympa-
thize with Secretary Bayard account OF the annoy
ances to which to be constantly subjected by